Jumping to conclusions!

We live in an era of information overload where immediate answers are demanded for even the most complex of questions that may need detailed investigations which, invariably, takes time.

- BY DR UPUL WIJAYAWARDHANA

This culture has produced a breed of internet experts who are not shy to express their opinions, however inaccurate they turn out to be subsequently. Based on these opinions social media gets overloaded with inaccurate, often harmful and hurtful, comments. The recent tragedy of the Air India crash well illustrates this danger of jumping to conclusions.

On Thursday 12th, a hot sunny day with cloudless skies, Air India flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner flown by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and his co-pilot Clive Kundar took to the skies from Gujarat’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad on its nine and half-hour journey to London Gatwick airport. The two pilots were highly experienced; Sabharwal having experience as a commercial airline pilot for 22 years, clocking over 10,000 flying hours and Kundar over 3000 flying hours. Sabharwal resembles Dev Anand and is said to have done his impersonations! He was planning to take early retirement to look after his aging father.

The flight, which took off at 13.39 local time, lasted just under 40 seconds, struggling to gain height and slowly descending on a residential area crashing with a loud bang and a ball of fire which damaged many buildings including a doctor’s accommodation in BJ Medical College and Civil Hospital. Of the 242 on board, which included the two pilots and ten cabin crew, the only survivor was the British national Vishwashkumar Ramesh, seated in seat 11A. He must have had a personal god that protected him! Around 30, including 5 medical students, also died and many others have been injured.